The Evolution of Event Marketing Marketing an event requires time and a little premeditation. Getting the word out about an event beforehand is crucial to the success of the event so you want to make sure you are devoting ample time and resources into marketing. So what are the best ways to market an event? Expectations and Challenges Event marketing has evolved over the past few years in huge ways. New technology has evolved the position of the customer, consumer or buyer; marketing is now focused on building their relationship with a company or brand. Audiences have higher expectations than previously held and are interested in being more engaged and gaining a real personal value from events. Event planners and marketers are now challenged with proving that events are valuable by offering customers a greater return on their investment. As more technological advances are made, they must be embraced by organizations in order to optimize customer experience before during and after events. Mobile technologies and social media continue to offer ever increasing ways to provide value to event attendees; these technologies extend the life-cycle of an event and enables marketing to be more frequent and more engaging. Increase Engagement through Technology Here are a few ways that mobile event apps can help increase the effectiveness of event marketing: • Streamline and Expedite Online Registration • Increase Engagement on Organization Websites and Social Media • Collect Valuable Attendee Demographic Data • Publish Immediate Event Updates • Extension of Organizational Branding • Increases Networking Ability through Messages, QR code scanning, etc. Not only is mobile technology a great way to reach audience members before and after an event, organizations are now encouraging audiences to use their mobile phones and tablets during events in order to stay connected to other attendees as well as to the organization. Mobile apps can keep attendees up to date with last minute scheduling changes during the event and they allow users to stay organized and make the most of their limited time at the event. Integrated event campaigns that use as many communication channels as possible via a custom event app are the very best at engaging an audience and pulling off a successful modern event. Today’s event attendees are tech savvy and expect the same from the events they attend. The future of event marketing looks bright as technologies, particularly in the mobile arena, continue to advance thereby increasing an organization’s ability to communicate and engage with its target audience. Another great advantage of integrating a technology that can measure your events Return on Event (ROE). It has been found that only 23% of the survey respondents are able to track event ROI vs. 37% of tech adopters. Revenue reporting is important for measuring every event program’s growth. It has also been found that organizers who are able to track their event ROI can closely define their future event budgets. Planners are integrating their event technology to enable full-funnel measurement and real-time action. It has been reported that 51% of the adopters have found success by integrating technology in there event management. And non-adopters only stick to the top-funnel metrics as they do not have the access to directly connect to their sales pipeline. Other benefit includes personalization. The Best event app allows companies to capture the data of the audience from their session interests to their food preferences. This allows in creating personalized experience throughout the event lifecycle. With the data, companies can automate better post-event follow-ups and personalize their outreach based on guest data, which is integral to enhance sales cycles and get better customer engagement. B2B companies are more apt to integrate event technology as they are looking for more valuable touchpoints, which will improve their sales cycles, and personalize the experience of their clients. One of the most important reasons to integrate the conference apps or event app can help in is lead generation. As said by Andrea Vahl, co-author of Facebook Marketing All-in-One for Dummies, “In these days of social media, face-to-face content can really enhance your online connection with your potential customers. Make sure you are using the Twitter hashtags regularly and watch the social media marketing that happens for the event on Facebook so you can comment on the posts and gain visibility with other attendees before the event.” And the best way to do so is by correctly targeting the demographics. The right event audience is the one that has an interest in what the event has to offer throughout the sessions. Upselling! What upselling at an event? Is this possible? Well, yes. You can easily upsell by introducing your customers with the products and services that they may not know about or may not realize that could address their needs. It is very easy fo the audience to fall back at the same kind of vent every time. Thinking out of the box can inspire and connect your with your new and existing audience in a refreshing way, which will in turn will increase the chances of attracting new attendees. But before you setup the event application, it is important that you keep these things in mind. Build a model up-front to understand the sensitivities of your event ROI based on various metrics. Keep brainstorming session with your team to come up with unique, viable, and strong ideas. Identify multiple touches in your promotion. ( In order To generate the highest amount of registrants, you need a mix of email, social, public relations, and other types of paid promotions.) Events occur in real-time, and attendees often use social networks to engage with other participants in a live environment, so do not forget to include social media channels. To make sure your event app development cost is justified, follow-up with attendees after the event and take feedback. Looking for specific ways to use an event app during your next event? Check out our previous post on using event apps for more details. Ready to find out how Grupio’s mobile solutions will help your next event succeed. Contact us to schedule a demo.